Feed-water heater



{No Model.

W. H. BURK. FEED WATER HEATER.

No. 500,377. Patented June 27, 1893.

T0 Bot-L NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. BURK, OF SI-IEBOYGAN, VVISOONSIN.

FEED-WATER HEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 500,377, dated June 27,1893,

Application filed January 13, 1890. Serial No. 336,786- (No model.)

hereinafter described and claimed.

In order thatmy invention may be fully understood, I will now proceed todescribe it with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which thefigure is a view, principally in side elevation of a steam-condensingand feed-water heating apparatus embodying my invention; one of thepumps being shown in end elevation and the condenser and heater beingshown in central vertical section.

It is well known that, in ordinary practice with condensers, the bestresults are attained by producing a vacuum of twenty-five inches ofmercury, or thereabout, with the temperature of the water in thehot-we1l(t'rom whence the boiler-supplyis taken) ranging from 100 to 110Fahrenheit. The difficulties met with in this connection are that whenthe temperature of the water in the hot-well is increased, the vacuum atthe exhaust steam side of the piston is decreased, while all increase inthe vacuum is accompanied by an opposing decrease of temperature in thehot-well.

The object of my present invention is to produce an apparatus whichshall produce the greatest desirable degree of vacuum at the steam sideof the piston and at the same time insure the highest desirable degreeof temperature of the water in the hot-well. These results I attain byvirtue of the construction, which I will now proceed to describe.

In the said drawing, A designates the steamcylinder of a steam engine,said engine being either of the horizontal type shown, or of any otherpreferred type. a

B designates the steam-supply pipe leading from a boiler to thesteam-chestof the engine and O designates an exhaust pipe leading fromthe steam-cylinder to a condenser D which is in turn shown as connectedby a pipe D with the pumping cylinder E of a suitable steampump E. Thispump takes its steam through a supply pipe (1 which is shown as tappedinto the main steam-pipe B, but which may of course lead directly fromthe boiler, if preferred. The condenser D is supplied with cold-waterthrough a pipe f which leads from any suitable source of cold watersupply. The exhaust from the pump E discharges through a pipe F into acondenser, heater and purifier J, to be presently more fully described.

Gdesignates a second pump which receives its steam-supply through a pipe6, which is also shown as tapped into the main steam-pipe B, but whichmay, like the pipe a, lead from the boiler if preferred. The exhaustfrom this pump G is thrown into a pipe H, which is connected to the pipeF before mentioned, and passes thence into the condenser and heater J,with the exhaust from the pump E.

I have shown the condenser and heater J, as consisting of a casingthrough the bottom of which extends the end of the exhaust-pipe F, thesaid pipe supporting a perforated diaphragm K in the lower part of thecasing, above the bottom thereof. A bed or mass of filtering material,consisting of excelsior or other equivalent substance, rests upon thisperforated diaphragm. A pipe L, which leads from a suitable cold watersupply, enters preferably at one side of the casing and at its inner endcarries a suitable rose or spraying nozzle 19, which extends verticallyupward immediately above the inclosed end of the exhaust-pipe F. Thepeculiarity of this condenser, which renders it particularly adaptableto the general apparatus herein described is a conical scatter-plate c,which is located in the upper part of the casing immediately above thenozzle or jet 1) and in the apex of which is formed an opening d. Asuitable blow-off valve 9 is placed on the top of the casing J. A pipe Ihas one of its ends inserted into the bottom of the casing andterminating in the space or well m between the bottom and the diaphragmK and this pipe leads to the pumping cylinder of the pump G. A pipe I isalso connected at one end to the pumping cylinder of the pump G andextends thence to the boiler.

The operation of the above described apparatus is as follows: Exhauststeam from the engineA enters the condenserD and is thence forced out bythe pump E as water of condensation, to any point or receptacle asdesired, the operation of the pump E thus serving to preserve the verygreatest desirable degree of vacuum at the exhaust steam-side of thepiston of engine A. At the same time the pump G is in operation, and theexhaust of the two pumps E and G is being thrown into the condenser andheater J where it is acted upon by the jet of water from the nozzle band condensed. The volume of steam thus thrown into the condenser andheater is so great that the resulting Water of condensation is of thevery highest desirable degree of temperature, and it is in thisconnection that the advantage of the peculiar form of spatter plate usedby me becomes most apparent. The water from nozzle 1), striking theunder side of the plate a is deflected upward through the open apex dand flows thence downward in a sheet over the upper side of the platecommingling with thesteam in the space between the cap and the top ofthe casing, and finally pouring over the edges of the plate and fallingupon the filtering bed, where it is purified. Thus the steam is veryrapidly condensed and the water of condensation at a high temperature,and thoroughly purified, is pumped into the boiler by the pump G.

It will be seen that the arrangement is such that the condensation ofsteam does not atfeet the vacuum at the steam side of the piston; thetwo operations being entirely distinct and independent of each other.The slight waste of fuel which results from the discharge of thecondensed exhaust from the receiver is rendered wholly inappreciable bythe great saving of fuel which is eflected by the high temperature ofthe feed-water supplied to the boiler by the pump G. Iwish it to beunderstood that other than the precise type of condenser, heater andpurifier, herein described, may be used, if preferred, but as a veryrapidly acting condenser is necessary, the form described is the bestfor this and analogous requirements.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a steam-engine steam-cylinder, of a main steamsupply pipe, a condenser, an exhaust pipe leading directly from thecylinder to the condenser, a cold water pipe leading directly into saidcondenser and mingling with the exhaust steam therein, a steam pumpingengine, a pipe connecting the last named condenser with the condensingend of said pumping engine, a steam supply pipe leading to the steam endof the said pumping engine, a second pump wholly independent of, anddisconnected from, the first named steam pumping engine, a steam supplypipe leading to said second pump, an independent condenser and heater,an exhaust pipe leading from the steam end of said pumping engine tosaid condenser and heater, an exhaust pipe leading from the said secondpump to the last named exhaustpipe, a feed-water pipe leading from saidsecond pump to the boiler, a suction pipe leading from the saidcondenser and heater to the said second pump, a cold water pipe leadinginto the interior of said condenser and heater, and terminating in aspraying nozzle, and a conical spatter-plate located within saidcondenser and heater above said spraying nozzle, substantially as setforth.

2. An improved condenser and heater for feed-water apparatus, comprisinga casing havingatightly closed top, a perforated falsebottom forming awell beneath it, a bed of filtering material resting on said falsebottom, a pipe leading from said well, an exhaust pipe projectingvertically above the false bottom and above the filtering materialresting thereon, a cold water inlet-pipe leading into the casing andterminating in a spraying nozzle above and in line with the exhaustpipe, a conical spatter-plate located above the said spraying nozzle,and having an open apex, and a blow-ofi valve in the top of the saidcasing, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atSheboygan, in the county of Sheboygan and State of Wisconsin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. BURK.

Witnesses:

JULIUS KROOS, GEO. ENDY.

